Vibration test campaign on ALM flanges of bladder fuel tanks for Tiltrotor application

Additive Layer Manufacturing (ALM) is a new and very attractive technology that allows to build up parts in successive layers of material under computer control starting from raw material at powder level. This allow to produces very complex parts avoiding the classic problems related to traditional subtractive techniques. This paper presents the results of an experimental vibration test campaign performed on metal components, produced by ALM, to be installed on the fuel storage system of the Civil Tilt Rotor Technology Demonstrator under development in the framework of the Clean Sky2 DEFENDER project. The test campaign is a part of a wider experimental activity aiming at defining the maximum acceptable defect size for the safety of flight compliance.